


Back to the Future II

by RiseoftheBlossom



Series: Dying Embers [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-11 17:04:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20157070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiseoftheBlossom/pseuds/RiseoftheBlossom
Summary: Ignoring the grip on her, Sakura pulled away, coming to stand in front of Shisui with a grave expression. Either way, she was screwed. She was caught up in the mess between Danzo and the Uchiha Clan now. Whatever was going down, he wouldn't leave any evidence of it. That included her involvement. She knew too much by simply looking at him. Danzo would not spare her.





	Back to the Future II

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to the one-shot which is now a multi-chaptered story called Dying Embers.

Living with Uchiha Shisui was… trying.

Every day they faced a new obstacle, ranging from tasks as simple as going to the bathroom, to huge risks such as allowing him to stretch his legs and exercise in the safety of his backyard. Adjusting to a life without sight was hard for him and it didn't surprise her in the least since the Uchiha Clan relied massively on their eyes – the Hyuuga clan, too.

Nudity, when it came to her patients, didn't bother Sakura in the least, but she had noticed that it made him extremely uncomfortable and still did, despite it being two months since he crash landed back into their beloved village. It was perfectly understandable, too. Shisui was a grown man, therefore he wanted to be able to bathe by himself, pee by himself and dress himself. That wasn't going into the fact that he was utterly vulnerable around her - he was bound to feel uncomfortable.

Don't get her wrong because lately, he was perfectly capable of moving around his own home and yard without needing her assistance. At first, he'd only known the layout of the place, but now Shisui knew where all the furniture was and what to look out for especially (they wouldn't tell him, but she and Itachi had moved all his breakables and obviously precious items away, so that there would be no accidents).

In all honesty, it was pretty tiring being his carer. Not because he was a bad character or anything of the sort, but because she saw him on his worst days. Sakura saw him when he was seriously low, when nothing could take him out of that mood or cheer him up. Depression ate away at him and some days, Shisui was unable to get out of bed.

To make matters worse: things with his clan weren't too great, either. Some labelled him as a traitor and a coward, saying he abandoned the clan when they needed his power most. They despised him. Spread rumours amongst one another that Shisui had purposely damaged his eyes before returning to them, so that they could never depend on his eyes.

Oh, it made her so incredibly angry, but Sakura reminded herself that Shisui was her main priority, as was his recovery. He didn't want to fight back and, respecting his wishes and almost chewing her lip off in an attempt to stay silent, she did nothing but stand beside him through all the badmouthing and hatred.

Sighing with annoyance, she flung the white bed sheets over the washing line, using the pegs attached to the waistband of her skirt to secure them into place. Since it was such a nice day and the weather was beautiful, Sakura had decided to do some washing while she had the chance.

"Something wrong?"

She glanced over her shoulder at the man sitting on the edge of the veranda. Although he seemed at peace, she knew different. Uchiha Shisui was good at hiding how he was feeling a great deal of the time. As of late, because of spending all day, every day with him, she was learning to read through that blank expression of his.

"No, no," Sakura said dismissively, smiling even though he couldn't see it. "I was just thinking."

"You are thinking awfully loud," Shisui informed her.

Going back to the washing, she replied, "Sorry."

Despite him growing stronger each day, Sakura still heard Shisui stand from his place on the veranda. The uncertainty in his steps when he first stood was unmistakable, due to the many times she'd heard it since he was assigned as her patient.

When he was by her side, she heard him sigh deeply. Risking a glance, she looked up at his face to find that he was troubled. "We live together, Sakura. And I don't want things to become uncomfortable." He raised an eyebrow. "How can I help if you don't tell me what is wrong?"

Sakura smiled at that. Even when so much was weighing him down, Shisui never failed to ask her how she was doing, or if she needed anything. Mainly someone to talk to, as he couldn't get around by himself outside the house.

"I was just… thinking."

Bringing up the way the others treated him would worsen Shisui's mood. It could possibly make him recede further into his depression. Yes, Sakura knew it wasn't possible to distance themselves from all the things that could depress him, but it was worth a shot. Anything was worth a shot if it meant avoiding his bad days, because it broke her heart witnessing such a strong, feared man feel worthless.

He held his hands out and her smile widened as she lifted the basket of washing. Not having to bend over repeatedly was a huge help.

It was a wonderful day weather-wise, one of the best they'd had in a while. Squinting, Sakura looked up at the cloudless blue sky, the stubborn sun almost blinding her, before grabbing another pillowcase from the basket and putting it over the line, pegging it in place.

"It's been a while since Sasuke returned, hasn't it?" Shisui wondered aloud.

The question – no, the mere mentioning of Sasuke's name, brought awful memories back to the surface, along with everything she'd ever felt about him or regarding him. Inadequacy was not something she felt very often as of late, because Sakura liked to think she'd improved massively since the last time Team Seven was together as a team, however, when it came to Sasuke, she always, without fail, felt inadequate. No, she felt downright useless.

"One month, three weeks and four days," she found herself replying quietly.

There was a pause in Shisui's response, his eyebrows knitting together. "And he's still incarcerated?"

He was going to be for a long time, if the elders got their way. Tsunade wouldn't say much about it other than the fact that they were dredging up the past and being stubborn old fools. What that meant exactly, she wasn't sure. Whatever it was, wasn't good, though. It put her shishou on edge. It was like she was preparing herself for more than just the war looming over them.

"Yeah." Grabbing another sheet, she flung it over the line. "His parents aren't too happy about the 'no visitors' thing, but…" Sakura shrugged and then sighed again. "It's only to be expected, given all he's done."

The list of crimes Sasuke had committed seemed to grow longer every day and every sin they uncovered seemed twice as unforgivable as the previous one. It was a losing battle trying to protect her heart and it made Sakura wonder how Mikoto and Fugaku were feeling, or Itachi. How was it possible for the smiling, carefree child they'd all known and loved…?

Feeling the tell-tale signs of tears, Sakura hurriedly finished the washing and then took the basket from Shisui's hands.

"How about we go start the healing session early?"

Shisui hesitated for a moment, his head tilted downwards so that they were face to face. It was remarkable how quickly his other senses improved. She was so impressed that she was debating on allowing Shisui to have a real spar with Itachi – if he was comfortable doing so, of course.

"Are you sure?" he questioned after a long pause of silence.

"Yeah." Turning away, Sakura made the short journey to the veranda, stepping up easily. She took her time, as she knew that, while outside, Shisui relied on hearing her movements to know when to step up, or how far he had to walk. "We're so close, you know?"

She held the door open with her hip, waiting until the Uchiha had his hand flat against the door above her head before she walked to the cupboard in the kitchen, placing the basket inside. Turning, she regarded him silently. His unease was obvious and it had her smiling softly.

In the two months of living with Uchiha Shisui, she liked to believe she knew him well enough by now to understand what he was feeling. And while there hadn't been a repeat of her sharing his bed since that first day, more often than not, Sakura would be woken during the night by the sounds of his screams, no matter how hard he tried to smother them. He screamed at the loss of his eyes, of his identity. She knew he felt like he was only a shell of who he used to be.

It was why she was so determined on restoring not only his sight, but his Sharingan, too. Well, his sight was a sure thing after all the research she and Tsunade had done. His Sharingan, however, was an entirely different story. There were so many risks. She may be able to restore his Sharingan, but there was the risk of being knocked straight back to square one if his chakra pathways couldn't withstand the pressure. It was basically trial and error.

Stepping forward, she took his hand. By now, Shisui had grown used to her lack of respect for personal space – hell, he seemed grateful for the contact a great deal of the time. It was like it helped to keep him grounded, to fight away his darker thoughts, though she supposed that was more wishful thinking than anything.

They always sat in the living room during the healing sessions. It was comfortable for the both of them and when the sessions went on for a little longer than they normally did, then Shisui was able to sleep on the sofa, or put his head on her lap as she worked on him.

After shutting out the curtains and switching on a small lamp, she placed it behind him. That way, it wouldn't cause any harm to his sensitive eyes. They usually waited until night to work on Shisui's eyes for the simple fact that it was obviously darker, but… she needed the distraction it brought to her. She had to give the healing sessions one hundred percent of her concentration.

"I'm going to remove the bandages now," Sakura warned him quietly.

When he nodded, she reached out, gently untying the bandages at the back of his head and then beginning the process of unwrapping them. It took some time. Once they were gone, he wisely kept his eyes shut, but after the past two months, Sakura knew he was only keeping them shut because he was tired of the disappointment.

For the first week or two of their sessions, Shisui had kept his hopes high. He'd done all he could to help his recovery. It was difficult for him, but he'd done it. So, when they kept getting the same results, it broke him. Piece by piece. And he forced himself to not hope, because to him, hoping only brought him more pain.

He was such a beautiful man, in her eyes. Lowering the bandages to the sofa, she watched his features. It made no sense to her how young he appeared, since he was older than Itachi and had been missing eight years, but…

* * *

"_What's wrong?"_

_While it wasn't unusual for her friend to get lost in his thoughts, it _was_ unusual of him to do it so publicly. They were outside of Shisui's house, taking a rest on the stairs leading to his front door._

_It wasn't an overly large house, but it did seem a little spacious for someone who lived alone and part of her worried about it being in a crowded part of the district. Itachi had already warned her that a lot of his clansmen resented Shisui for his disappearance, that negativity only increasing when they learned of the state of his eyes. There was no front yard to put extra distance between them, so those who wrongly hated him could walk straight up to the porch without trespassing._

_That was why Tsunade had chosen her, though. It wasn't solely because of her skills as a medic-nin because if it was, she would have assigned Shizune. She'd chosen Sakura because she knew she was capable of protecting him, should something happen._

_Sakura hoped, more than anything, that it wouldn't come down to that._

"_He doesn't look any older than when I last saw him."_

_Frowning, she looked up at him, but Itachi was staring out at the street ahead of them, watching the clansmen walking by. Neither of them failed to notice their scrutinising and disdainful looks when they caught glimpses of the house. News of Shisui's dramatic return had travelled fast._

"_Are you sure?" Sakura asked, though she wasn't sure why. His eyes never missed a thing. They saw what everyone else couldn't see._

"_It's like he hasn't aged at all," Itachi added in hushed tones. Minutely, his eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head to the side, meeting her gaze. "The last time I saw Shisui, we sparred. My Sharingan was activated."_

_There was no mistaking it, then. To better their chances of saving Shisui's Sharingan, Itachi had allowed her to extensively examine his eyes to learn all she needed to know about the Kekkei Genkai. He even brought her scrolls that were only to be read by the higher ups of his clan, deciphering them for her and sharing the information. During that research, she'd discovered that the Sharingan gave the user a photographic memory._

"_How's that even possible?" she whispered, aware of the fact others would hear them if they spoke too loudly._

"_I don't know," came his murmured reply. "However, I am willing to bet it has something to do with his eyes."_

_Yes, she did, too. They were so badly burned, to the point where Tsunade had said she was surprised they weren't liquefied. "Then…" Sakura frowned. "So, what do we do?"_

"_I will do all I can to uncover the truth."_

* * *

Uchiha Shisui was supposed to be in his thirties by now, though certainly no older than Kakashi. He was around nine years older than Itachi, making him exactly thirty, possibly thirty-one at most. Despite that, he only looked to be in his early twenties. He looked the same age as Itachi.

Also, so far, he seemed to have no memory of what happened. None whatsoever. A single glance at Itachi told her he didn't believe that story, though. The way he'd watched Shisui closely, eyes narrowing fractionally, told her the older Uchiha was withholding information. But why would he do that?

"I'll start now."

Shisui nodded once and then his expression relaxed completely as her healing chakra entered his eyes. The chakra pathways were still burned, but nowhere near as horrifically as they'd been in the beginning. For the first month, they'd focused entirely on his sight until she realised it caused him extreme pain – pain he tried to hide. It had taken her a while to get to where they were at now. Not only with the healing, but getting him to openly admit he was in pain. It made caring for him so much easier when he was honest with her.

An hour or two passed before Sakura gently extracted her chakra, smiling hesitantly. It was the part Shisui hated, the part that either threatened to destroy their hopes, or… Well, there hadn't been a second option yet. All they'd had was battered hope and faith. No matter how hard she tried to keep them up, it was obvious Shisui was falling further into his depression.

"Open them," she ordered quietly. For a few moments, he refused, breathing turning shaky. She reached out and cupped his cheek, offering a small, hopeful smile. "Please, Shisui? For me?"

During the past two months, they'd decided to forget about formalities. What with being Shisui's carer, and having to help him bathe and go to the bathroom and whatnot, they'd thought they were a little pointless.

When her thumb stroked beneath his left eye, he opened them, taking her breath away at the same time as he seemed to lose his. His gaze was somewhat focused, even if he _was_ squinting a little, and there was a myriad of emotions for her to see in his dark eyes. Mostly shock and disbelief, but she could see the awe in there, too.

"I…"

Her smile widened encouragingly. "Tell me how much you can see, Shisui."

He blinked several times before slowly, almost hesitantly, he lifted his hands to her head, fingers grazing her hair. "…Pink hair," Shisui murmured, sounding vaguely amused.

Sakura raised a daring eyebrow and it seemed to capture his attention as his eyes squinted further, gaze drifting down to her eyes. "Don't make fun of my hair, jer-"

"Your eyes." He swallowed and leaned closer, pupils dilating.

Her breath caught in her throat when Shisui's fingers shifted from her hair to her face, shaking faintly. As she had him, he cupped her face, thumbs stroking beneath her eyes.

"What about my eyes?" she whispered, unable to speak any louder.

A beautiful smile – the first _real_ smile she'd seen from him since meeting Shisui – pulled at his lips and it stunned her when his forehead bumped against hers.

"I can't see them all that clearly, but…" His smile widened. "Your eyes are really green."

The way he said it made her frown slightly. He said it like he was being sentenced, although not negatively. It was as though he'd lost a fight he hadn't even tried to win and it confused her greatly.

One of the hands slipped from her cheek and back to her hair, coming to the back of her head. Sakura was pretty sure Shisui could hear the erratic beating of her heart, or her breathing as it grew shallow, but she could tell his was no different.

Over the past two months, there'd been a little tension – there was no point trying to deny it, just like there was no point in trying to deny there was attraction there. Being so close to him physically and seeing him on his darkest days was bound to bring them closer. There was no avoiding that. But it was the first time they'd been… _this_ close. It was the first time she was going against her position as his medic and carer.

After all, medics couldn't be romantically involved with their patients. And that was what Shisui was. He was her patient.

"Shisui…"

When she bit her lip, his hand shifted, thumb lightly brushing her lips. Sakura shut her eyes.

_Screw the rules,_ that voice in the back of her mind hissed.

The front door opening broke them apart, had her shooting out of her seat and nervously running her fingers through her hair to tidy it up.

Itachi froze in the doorway, eyes a fraction wider than usual. "Forgive me for intruding. I-"

"No, it's fine," Sakura assured him. She tried to smile, but it was difficult. "Shisui's sight is…"

The younger Uchiha warily shut the door behind himself and stepped further into the home, watching the way his friend squinted and focused on the area surrounding him. They all did their best to ignore the flush that covered both her own and Shisui's cheeks – Sakura was grateful for the top she'd chosen to wear that day, which had a higher neckline than her usual vests, because she could feel the same heat on her chest, too.

His eyes warmed when Shisui's gaze met his. "I'm glad."

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Sakura pretended to busy herself with fresh bandages, doing her best to ignore the glance the two men threw her way. While Shisui had kept the disappointment from his features and voice, they could tell he was annoyed at the intrusion. She, however, wasn't sure how she felt about it.

Medics weren't to become involved with their patients. It was plain and simple. And she had always been one to abide by the rules, to play fair (or as fair as a shinobi could play). To willingly toss aside said rule was just… out of character for her. Saying that, though… she had kind of broken the rules by sitting on Shisui's hospital bed, and then sleeping in his own bed with him. It had only happened the once, but it still happened. If her shishou found out…

"Sasuke was attacked in his cell last night," Itachi informed them. "Hokage-sama barely made it in time to save him."

She dropped the bandages, body freezing.

Shisui stood up, coming to her side. "His condition?"

Only to them did Itachi reveal his deep concern, his brows knitting together into a troubled frown. "Stable. Hokage-sama has stationed two of her most trustworthy ANBU operatives inside his hospital room."

She didn't even realise she was shaking until somebody grabbed her hands. Green eyes snapped to the dark, somewhat focused eyes in front of hers.

"Sakura-"

"Why?" Sakura demanded.

Tsunade had told her that Sasuke was restrained and had a seal placed over his eyes so that he was unable to use his Sharingan. Why would someone attack a person who was unable to fight back? When they were so defenceless? Sasuke was… All he did all day was just sit there, unable to move properly. He couldn't block or dodge attacks he couldn't see coming. He was helpless.

"What… What _coward,_" she seethed. "What kind of coward attacks someone who's so… so goddamn _vulnerable?"_

"Danzo," Shisui muttered suddenly, taking them by surprise. "It has to be Danzo."

"What?"

Sakura looked up at him with an expression of utter disbelief. What the hell kind of accusation was that? No, where the hell had it come from? Danzo was… He was a major pain in the ass and drove Tsunade insane with his sexist, condescending ways, but he wasn't… Surely, he wouldn't attack an Uchiha? A prisoner of the Hokage's – no, of the _five_ Kage? She'd never had him down as stupid.

One glance at Itachi told her he was thinking along the same lines. They both knew Danzo wouldn't act so recklessly. Although Sakura had heard that something had gone down between the clan and Danzo, she didn't know any specifics. She just knew enough to know that there was bad blood between Danzo and the Uchiha Clan.

But the thought of Danzo attacking Sasuke was simply… ridiculous.

Right?

"Shisui, it is not possible," Itachi tried to reason with him. "Danzo-sama has realised that-"

"It is entirely possible," he stressed in reply. "Whatever happened to me was because of Danzo. He-"

The hold on her hands disappeared as Shisui brought his hands to his face, his expression one of pain and in that moment, her anger and sadness disappeared. She reached out for him just as he stumbled, Itachi steadying the pair of them when she was caught off guard by his sudden dead weight.

"Shisui," she all but yelled, eyes wide in fear as she tightened her arm around his waist, other hand tilting his head downwards. It was pitiful, but it was only thanks to Itachi that they didn't collapse completely. "Damn it, he's out cold."

Once he realised they no longer needed the assistance and now that she was better prepared for his weight, the younger Uchiha stepped away and Sakura effortlessly moved Shisui to the sofa, easing him down slowly.

Despite being unconscious, his expression showed that he was deeply troubled. There was a harsh scowl on his pale face, his eyebrows twitching and nostrils flaring. A steady green glow of chakra enveloped her right hand as she placed it on his forehead, closing her eyes in concentration.

Sighing with annoyance once she found the problem, Sakura extracted her chakra and reached for the bandages, frowning as she told Itachi, "He tried sending chakra to his eyes, probably to activate his Sharingan."

But that seemed to trouble Itachi further and he returned her frown, watching closely as she set to covering Shisui's eyes once again. "Previously, Shisui rarely-"

"Itachi," she cut him off, though kept her voice soft. When the bandages were on and secure, she stood and faced the younger Uchiha. "The Shisui from eight years ago is a different man to the Shisui before us." Her frown returned. "He's in a really dark place, so it's understandable that he's not as in control of his emotions or his chakra as he used to be." Biting her lip for a second, she added quietly, "We don't know what happened to him during those eight years."

As he glanced down at his friend, Sakura regarded him silently. He seemed just as worried as she felt.

Itachi looked back to her suddenly, expression clearing. "I will investigate it further."

She caught his sleeve when he turned to leave, unable to meet his questioning gaze while saying, "Please be careful, Itachi. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

His gaze softened.

* * *

It had been three days since she found out Sasuke was attacked. In that time, Shisui had woken up rather disorientated and had to remain in dimly lit places even with the heavy bandages covering his eyes – which were still on, as a precaution.

Sakura was stumped. Well, maybe not entirely stumped, just… on edge and confused.

There were three visits during the three days, all of which were Itachi checking up on his friend. Unlike herself, he really was stumped. He was unable to find any leads or new information on what happened to Shisui and why. Several times, he revisited the place where he'd reappeared, at various times throughout the day, but there was nothing. And it frustrated him.

What was even more frustrating was the fact they still couldn't see Sasuke. When he first returned, she'd been unsure on what to do with herself. Did she visit him? Did she give him his space? Was he okay? Was he in any pain? Was he learning his lesson?

"I'll be back soon," Sakura called out while brushing her hair off her shoulder to make room for her bag strap, waiting for the typical grunted reply before she left.

Grocery shopping was the bane of her existence. Sure, she enjoyed the odd conversation with the villagers every so often, but as of late, their attention was massively unwanted, whether it was because she was Tsunade's apprentice and already surpassing her shishou, or because she was Uchiha Shisui's carer, or because Sasuke was home. While they seemed like positive things, some of the villagers were nasty people who were capable of twisting words, or spouting cruel lies. So, on top of grocery shopping being a mundane chore she wished she could pay genin to do for her, there was now the constant attention and gossip following her around. The only reason Sakura didn't go through with her selfish wish of paying genin to do the shopping for her was because she couldn't trust them. She was awfully particular about fruit – it couldn't be bruised, fully ripe, or too squishy. It had to be at a perfect balance. The same went for her vegetables.

There wasn't only that. After Shisui's words the other day, despite not wanting to believe them, Sakura knew she had to be extra careful. If his words were true, then Danzo would possibly want to finish what he started, or could even hire someone to do it now that Shisui was considerably weakened. Hell, there was even the chance of a member of his clan despising him enough to try and end his life. Tsunade had chosen her to protect him for a reason.

Due to it being closer to his home, and still fully intact even after Pain's attack, she chose to shop within the district, even though it meant constantly being scrutinised. The Uchiha Clan had always been… _off_ with her – not outright hateful, but not friendly, either. Anyone who didn't belong was treated like an outsider, whether they were non-Uchiha, or only half an Uchiha. Unless you were a, as Naruto dubbed, "a pure blood", then you weren't welcome within their walls. Oh, you could live in the district if you were half an Uchiha, but they made you feel ostracised – or so Itachi had once told her.

She smiled brightly at the criticising glares that followed her around, purposely aggravating the old coots who hated her presence, or the harsh jackasses with the superiority complexes, or even the children who blindly followed the orders of those people.

The sudden presence of another by her side brought Sakura out of her thoughts and she smiled more genuinely at the woman. She didn't know her, but she knew _of_ her. Uchiha Izumi was Itachi's… Well, she wasn't entirely sure what they were to each other. She was beautiful, though. There was no denying that. Her warm brown hair was long and smooth, parted at the side and the colour of it matched her eyes. Unlike other Uchiha, her eyes weren't cold or assessing. They were filled with kindness.

Instantly, Sakura decided she liked the woman and secretly, she hoped Itachi would hurry and make his damn mind up.

"Don't mind them," Izumi told her with a smile.

"They don't bother me that much," she replied truthfully, but then grimaced. "It's when they talk badly about Shisui that…"

That she was filled with pure hot rage and wanted pummel them all.

The smile dimmed, replaced by a frown. "How is he?" Izumi asked quietly. "I haven't seen much of Itachi-kun. He's so busy with missions lately that I…" She sighed. "I never get the chance to ask him how his best friend is, or how _he_ is."

Sakura smiled slightly. "Itachi's working hard to uncover the mystery that is Uchiha Shisui," she said half teasingly, half seriously. "And Shisui is still recovering."

Izumi nodded. Her frown was still in place, telling Sakura that she was still troubled about Itachi's absence – or was she troubled by Shisui? It wasn't her place to ask really, was it? She didn't know Izumi. She didn't know what her relationship with Itachi was like, or if it was a romantic relationship at all.

"_Izumi!"_

She looked over her shoulder and came to a stop in their walk. "Coming!" Turning back to Sakura, she said, "Tell Shisui-san that I wish him a fast recovery. Also, if you see Itachi-kun, tell him…" Izumi smiled shyly. "Tell him that when I come back from my mission, it's his turn to pay for dango and tea."

With that said, she jogged over to the two others who were waiting for her. It was probably her team, Sakura decided.

"Have a safe mission," she yelled out to the team and grinned at the smile Izumi responded with.

Her grin faded as she went back to her shopping, though the small smile remained in place. She would be the first to admit that her judgement of character wasn't the greatest, but Sakura thought that the Uchiha woman was a kind person. Perhaps she was exactly what Itachi needed? Someone kind-hearted and… so _obviously_ in love with him.

It was as the grocery store came into view that she heard them, though. There was a group of three teenage girls to her left, lingering outside the store like a bunch of hooligans. From their appearance and the way they held themselves, Sakura could tell they were kunoichi. She looked at one of the market stalls, assessing the quality of the fruit.

"_My older sister said he used to be even greater than Itachi-sama,"_ one of the girls laughed cruelly. _"I'm starting to think she's pulling my leg. He's pathetic."_

"_I know, right?"_ another replied in the same manner. _"I mean, he has to have his guard dog with him at all times because they know what the clan will do to him."_

"_U-Um… guys? I don't think we should be talking so loudly. She's just over there."_

"_Who cares?"_ the first girl said, voice raising._ "All three of us have the Sharingan. She's not a threat to us."_

Finally having enough, she calmly placed her shopping bags down and made her way over to them, smiling politely. Despite what she'd been saying moments before, all three of the girls were unnerved by her presence.

"You want to say that a little louder?" Sakura asked flippantly. "I don't think they heard you in Suna."

"You-"

She didn't give them the chance to defend themselves as she smirked viciously and slammed her fist into her palm, causing her knuckles to crack under the pressure. "I'm supposed to be shopping for groceries, but I suppose I can spare a few seconds to beat you mouthy brats back into submission."

* * *

"You're bleeding."

"Oh, this?" she asked cheerfully. "It's nothing."

Shisui frowned. "You only went for groceries. What happened?"

His suspicion was only to be expected. Since losing his sight, Shisui's other senses had heightened impressively. Although he couldn't see her busted lip, he could smell the blood in the air.

Sighing, she placed the bags down near the door and made her way over to the sofa where Shisui was sitting. It wasn't unusual for him to sit alone in silence, so she thought nothing of it. Sometimes, Shisui wanted to be left alone, or simply enjoyed being in silence. It was worrying, since his thoughts were pretty dark at times, but there was no way to stop him.

"I got into a little fight with some girls-"

"A fight?" he questioned, head moving in her direction like he could see her. "Why?"

"It's not important why," she responded lamely and sat beside him. "They deserved it. That's all I'm saying."

"They?"

"Three of them." It was with a roll of her eyes that she sat back and rubbed her forehead. "One of them sucker punched me."

Shisui turned in his seat and hesitantly reached out, hand wavering blindly until Sakura sat up again, smiling faintly when he found her face. His fingers explored her skin, leg sliding more onto the sofa so that he could face her fully. There was a soft frown marring his features as he reached her lip and felt the blood. It stung a little when his thumb ran over it, but she didn't stop him.

"Sakura…" He breathed in a deep sigh. "They were Uchiha, weren't they?" Her pout answered him and Shisui said with obvious disapproval, "I have told you before to leave them be. It is better to ignore their words and glares than give them more reason to-"

"To hate you?" Sakura demanded. As much as she wanted to pull away from him, she didn't. "You don't deserve to be hated, Shisui. No one does. They were saying some… some _horrible_ things and I couldn't stand it anymore."

Again, he sighed, but surprised her by pressing his forehead to hers, reminding her of the other day, right before they were interrupted. "At least tell me you won."

She smirked even though it hurt to do so. "Don't underestimate me, Uchiha Shisui. They may have the Sharingan, but I was trained by Tsunade-sama."

A medic's ability to dodge or block an attack was absolutely crucial. Sakura had learned to sense the changes in the air around her and as soon as she sensed an attack, she moved out of the way. Unless she wanted to die during the harsh training with Tsunade, she'd had no other choice but to learn that. Even though it was only training, her shishou put everything into her attacks.

The smirk was only half proud and she knew it was because he was against her fighting. She supposed he had every right to be worried. As far as Shisui knew, she was only a medic. He didn't know she was capable of disregarding the medic's rules.

"Thank you."

Sakura frowned softly and tried to see his features, but they were too close for her to make anything out. "What for?"

"For being on my side," he replied quietly. "I know I am not the easiest person to deal with-"

She cut him off. "I'll always be on your side, Shisui." Reaching out, she took his hands, holding them securely in her own. "It's only been two months, but I _know_ you."

His hands turned so that they were holding hands, instead of her holding onto his. "And I, you."

"That's why I defended you today," she murmured, looking down at their joined hands. "You won't stand up for yourself because you're against violence – and let's face it, those arrogant idiots will always resort to violence." After a short pause, she added, "I'm not included in that, even if I do resort to violence, by the way."

The smirk was more genuine this time.

"I'm with you every second of every day," Sakura continued quietly and pulled back a little to see his features. She wished in that moment, more than anything, that she could see his eyes again. "I learned pretty quickly that you didn't purposely damage your eyes to avoid whatever the hell went down between your clan and the village." When his smirk vanished, she sighed. "Whatever happened to you was out of your control, wasn't it?"

Minutely, Shisui nodded, his head then turning in a different direction. "It felt like a…"

"Like a…?" she pushed gently when he trailed off.

"Like a jutsu," he whispered. "A teleportation jutsu."

Her heart skipped a beat as she realised he was telling her about what happened to him. "Did you…?"

He shook his head. "I don't remember much of what happened, but it's like you said: whatever happened was out of my control. I simply remember being transported from the forest to the Hokage Tower."

"The forest?" Sakura repeated, making a mental note to inform Itachi of the new information. It would be useful to him. "What were you doing out there?"

Again, Shisui shook his head, this time silently telling her he didn't want to talk about it. It made her wonder if it had anything to do with his sudden hatred for Danzo. After all, he said what happened to him was because of that man. Had he been the one who teleported him? For some reason, Sakura couldn't see that happening. What reason would he have to send someone to the future?

Was that what happened to Shisui? It seemed entirely possible, in her eyes. Uchiha Shisui had not aged since the day he went missing. He disappeared without a trace and then reappeared without warning, popping into existence above the Hokage Tower and almost giving Tsunade's ANBU guard heart attacks as they rushed to stop his descent, believing him to be an attacker. But was it Danzo who did it to him? Or was it something to do with his eyes? Was it the reason why they were almost liquefied? Had he unknowingly cast the jutsu that sent him to the future?

Oh, her head hurt.

"Sakura, about the other day," Shisui began, but then paused, seeming to struggle for words.

She continued for him, saying quietly, "I'm your medic, Shisui." It hurt just to say it and she could tell by the way he suddenly fell silent, head turning away, that he felt the same. "It's…" She sighed. Why was it so hard saying the words? Why did it cause an ache in her chest? "It's against the rules to become involved with your patient in any way."

There was every chance they only felt the way they did because of the constant close proximity, because she was with him all day every day. It wasn't unheard of or uncommon.

"Even if it's something we both want?" he asked, voice quiet.

Did she want that? She didn't bother denying the fact she'd wanted Shisui to kiss her the other day. If Itachi hadn't interrupted them, then it would have happened. She would have let it happen and she probably would have liked it. But the rules were there for a reason. Perhaps if she wasn't his medic, they could have explored the tension and attraction they felt. But there was also a chance of not feeling said attraction, had it not been for their constant closeness.

"I should probably put the groceries away," Sakura said lamely.

He allowed her to go and once in the kitchen, she placed the bags of groceries down and breathed in deeply, trying to ignore the horrible ache in her heart.

Even though she'd only known Shisui for two months, it felt like she'd known him a lifetime. He'd been a great comfort to her after Sasuke's return, even though she was supposed to be the one taking care of him. When she needed someone to talk to, he was there. When she couldn't find the words to express how she was feeling, they sat there in comfortable silence until she found them and was ready to talk.

In just two short months, he'd become a precious person to her.

And that scared her.

* * *

She awoke in the middle of the night.

For a moment, she stayed silent, staring up at the ceiling in concentration. It wasn't Shisui or his nightmares that had awoken her, she decided after a moment and the second she realised that, Sakura was out of bed and grabbing her pouch.

As quietly as she could, she opened her door further. Being Shisui's medic meant that it could never be completely closed. She had to listen out for any struggles or emergencies. As stated before: being a medic meant there was no such thing as privacy or modesty and she'd taken up the role of being his full-time medic.

There were no sounds in the hallway and she couldn't sense anyone's presence, either. However, the attack on Sasuke was still fresh in her mind. She knew that, should someone be targeting the Uchiha, and if Shisui's story was true, then he was the first one to be taken out. In regards to Sasuke, he was a threat. He was crazy strong. It would only make sense to take him out while he was unable to fight back.

Deciding to take the risk, Sakura silently darted from her room and over to Shisui's, shutting the door behind herself. The room seemed mostly untouched and a quick check of his breathing, heart rate and chakra told her he hadn't been disturbed. Her examination woke him, but fortunately, Shisui seemed to sense the same thing as her and kept quiet.

And then he seemed to hear something she couldn't, grabbing Sakura and moving them out of the way faster than she could keep up with and a for a split second, she was in awe. She'd heard all about his speed, had known not to take it lightly because Uchiha Itachi _never_ did. To experience said speed was an entirely different matter, however.

The whole bed was suddenly engulfed in flames, starting from where they'd been sat, much to her horror.

Her horror only multiplied when Shisui reached up for his bandages, ripping them off without hesitation. In the dark, it allowed him the chance to adjust. She saw the way he squinted, the way his pupils dilated as he fought hard through the fog that clouded his vision. Thankfully, he didn't try activating his Sharingan.

"Outside," he muttered, still holding her tightly. Without warning, and using himself as a shield to keep her from being harmed, he all but threw them out of his closed window, landing expertly on his bare feet. "It's too crowded in there."

Too crowded-

Sakura's breath left her as the attackers revealed themselves, standing opposite them in the otherwise empty street. There was no time to focus on the black smoke leaving the broken window, or the cuts marring Shisui's body.

Not when they were facing Danzo and his ROOT operatives.

It stunned her. ROOT was supposed to have been disbanded years ago. How the…

There was no telling if the other Uchiha would come to their defence after seeing the smoke from the fire that was quickly taking over the house. They had to go on the belief that they wouldn't. That they were alone to fight Danzo and his operatives. But…

That was why Tsunade had chosen her. Perhaps not specifically for Danzo, but for an attack like this.

Ignoring the grip on her, Sakura pulled away, coming to stand in front of Shisui with a grave expression. Either way, she was screwed. She was caught up in the mess between Danzo and the Uchiha Clan now. Whatever was going down, he wouldn't leave any evidence of it. That included her involvement. She knew too much by simply looking at him. Danzo would not spare her.

"Do not underestimate her," Danzo muttered to his operatives. "Even though she is unarmed, that girl is still a weapon. She will kill you if you take her lightly."

"I'm not going to kill anyone," Sakura retorted calmly. Holding her arms out to her sides, she said, "But I won't let you harm Shisui."

"Then you will die alongside him."

"Sakura-"

"Stay behind me, Shisui," she ordered. Keeping her hard green eyes on the enemy, she narrowed them, allowing her seal to release itself and cover her skin. "I don't know what you're playing at, Danzo-sama, but it ends here."

Instead of replying to her, he made a single hand gesture and his operatives reacted instantly, rushing at her. Sakura gritted her teeth and shot forward to meet them head on, doing her best to keep any of them from getting by her, from attacking Shisui. She dodged and deflected their attacks, countering them with unlethal moves.

Grabbing one operative's waist, she launched him at the others, the force knocking them backwards and into the store opposite the home, the wall crumbling around them. Four down, she told herself, immediately going to the next operative who was attempting to sneak up on her. She surprised him with a roundhouse kick, sending him flying across the street. Leaping back and closer to Shisui, she narrowed her eyes, focusing intently on the last three and Danzo.

"It is futile," the leader told her. "While you fight valiantly, my operatives are already on the move."

What?

A cold dread filled her stomach, twisting it harshly and the feeling only tripled when she heard Shisui's breath leave him, when they all suddenly heard the screams of terror belonging to children, of the tell-tale sounds of battle as the Uchiha Clan began to fight back.

"Tsunade-sama will never let this go," she warned him, anger making her clenched fists shake. "She'll know it was you."

"That is why I intend to rectify that problem, also."

Chakra completely enveloped her hands, green eyes going wide with a mixture or rage and fear.

"Like I'd let you!" she snarled, going straight for the old man.

Another appeared before her, forcing Sakura to come to a skidding halt to prevent herself from harming Uchiha Fugaku as he stood tall before her.

"Take Shisui and go," he told her without looking over his shoulder. His hands were by his sides, body tensed and ready for action and after a few seconds, Mikoto and two others joined him. "Warn Hokage-sama."

Knowing that it was all she could do, she released the built-up chakra and turned back to Shisui, grabbing his hands. His sight wouldn't be perfect. He wouldn't be able to keep up with her if she was to run off ahead.

Sakura wondered where Itachi was. Was he helping the other Uchiha? Was he fighting for them? Or was he out on another mission? She found herself hoping Izumi was still out on her mission, too. Or would Danzo have anticipated that not all Uchiha were in the district? Would he have sent people after them?

"Sakura."

"I know."

She turned, arm wrapping around Shisui's waist as she effortlessly deflected the three kunai that was launched at them. Their feet touched down on a roof for a second and this time, she put more chakra into the leap, keeping a tight hold of Shisui with one arm, while her other hand was clasped tightly around her kunai. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the clansmen fighting, saw bodies littering the streets. For a second, she wished that Shisui's eyes were still covered, as he certainly didn't need to see the deaths of his clansmen while he was unable to fight back and help them.

She was forced to release him when somebody seemed to materialise out of nowhere, a punch landing to her face and reopening the busted lip. Much to her relief, Shisui managed to land onto a roof, albeit shakily, clearly unsure of his surroundings as he tried his hardest to look around himself. To try and save her legs from the harsh landing, she tumbled into it, turning and flipping until she managed to stop her momentum and Sakura breathed out a shaky exhale as she balanced on the edge of the roof.

It seemed the lights in the district had been shut off, leaving them to rely on the full moon to light up the streets.

Her heart broke at the sight of the bodies of children laying motionlessly on the ground, surrounded by pools of their own blood. It hurt even more to see a bloodied teddy resting several feet ahead of one particular child, her hand outstretched like she was trying to reach it in her final moments.

With tear filling her eyes, she turned to confront the operatives, but was taken back to find that there was quadruple the number she'd been facing before. They also looked a hell of a lot stronger.

But she had to protect him.

She had to get him out of Konoha.

* * *

He had to get him out of Konoha.

The hallways were dark and silent, and Itachi made sure to be the same as he rushed through the maze that was ANBU headquarters. His uniform kept him from rousing suspicion should the other operatives catch him. However, he knew he still had to be wary and avoid all interactions. There was no telling who was on Danzo's side. There was no telling who was his friend or foe. People he'd worked with for years could turn against him if they were ordered to do so.

They'd been completely unprepared for the sudden attack on his clan, with him just barely managing to escape after his parents ordered him to find his brother, to get him out of Konoha. They had to live in order to take the village back, was what his father had told him. Please protect Sasuke, was what his mother begged of him.

What he'd told Sakura was the truth: Sasuke had been attacked. However, he lied when he told her he was in hospital. Being who he was and having done the things he had, Tsunade had no choice but to keep him in the bowels of ANBU's headquarters, still unable to defend himself. She warned him that, should another attack happen and he managed to break out of the seals placed upon him, it would still take a while for him to regain his chakra. He would still be defenceless.

That meant they couldn't stay and help their clansmen. It was unsightly, but they had to run. Not only would it be the best option, but their parents had ordered it of them.

He would not disappoint them or allow their sacrifices to be in vain.

* * *

When she stumbled for the seventh time, Sakura wiped the blood from her chin, making several hand signs before slamming her palm to the roof, summoning Katsuyu. It didn't take her summon long to sense the danger and she spat acid at the enemy, body curling around hers and Shisui's protectively.

"Sakura," he whispered, trembling hands coming to her face. He'd done his best to fight with her, but as he was still recovering, he hadn't been much help. "You don't have to do this for me."

But she did. She had to protect him with everything she had. Not because it was her duty as his medic and not because it was ordered of her.

She stunned him by pressing her lips to his, ignoring the fact it made her busted lip sting. Her hand came to the back of his head, about to run through his hair. And then she did it. Her hand connected to the back of his neck and she felt him go limp in her arms.

"You have to live," Sakura told him quietly.

Around them, Katsuyu suddenly flinched, like something physically hurt her, but when Sakura looked up, she found no one was there. The operatives seemed to have run at the sight of the slug, knowing they wouldn't get close with her acid attack. The roof surrounding them was about to give way due to the acid she'd spat out and noticing they didn't have long, Sakura put her last minute plan into motion.

"Katsuyu-sama."

The slug's optical tentacles flinched again. "Sakura-chan, Tsunade-sama's contract…"

Tears filled her eyes and she shifted closer to Katsuyu, like she was trying to seek comfort from her. "Katsuyu-sama, I have one last request."

"Sakura-chan, you-"

"Save him," Sakura pleaded as the tears slipped down her bloodied and bruised cheeks. "Please save Shisui."

It was obvious she wanted to refuse, that she wanted to save her master, also. However, Katsuyu was intelligent. She knew that, in order to save Shisui, somebody had to be used as a decoy. To protect those who were fleeing, to give them a fighting chance, somebody had to stay behind and hold them off.

As she was the last medic who couldn't die in battle, it was only fair that it was her.

"I will take him to Shikkotsu Forest," her summon responded as fiercely as she could. "He will stay there with my main body until you summon me again."

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, breathing out a deep sigh of relief. At the forest, he would be undoubtedly safe. Nothing and no-one could go there without Katsuyu – or so Tsunade had told her.

Thinking of her shishou had more tears soundlessly slipping down her cheeks and she pressed her forehead to Katsuyu, hand coming to rest on the side of the slug's head. If her contract was gone, then that meant… It meant she was also gone. Danzo had probably already gone through his plan to take her place because she'd be a troublesome opponent. Her shishou was a strong woman, even he knew that.

"Thank you, Katsuyu-sama."

* * *

The village was in ruins.

Many had awoken to the screams of terror and anguish, quickly leaving their homes to come to the defence of their villagers. Usually, he would order his clan to stay within their district after figuring out what had happened, knowing it did not involve them. However, they'd done much growing within the past few years. The new generation had helped them to see their unforgivable, selfish ways.

So Hyuuga Hiashi led his clansmen straight to the Hokage Tower, where the battle seemed to be at its worst. There was so much going on. People were fighting, or trying to run away, or dying at his feet.

What struck him most was the body of their Godaime Hokage.

He hadn't agreed with her being Hokage, as there were many others who fit the role more appropriately. Senju Tsunade was a gambler with an awful addiction to drinking. She was crass and obnoxious. However, she had still been their leader. A fierce one, at that. She had still saved them on countless occasions, offering up her life to protect the entire village.

Her assistant, Shizune, wasn't too far from her. It seemed she'd been taken out first, if he was not mistaken. There were many ANBU surrounding them and he hoped his nephew was not amongst them. Hopefully, he would have escaped the carnage.

"Know this… The Hyuuga are the mightiest among Konoha," Hyuuga Hiashi murmured in a deadly soft voice, eyes fixated on the man standing close to the body of his Hokage. "We will not allow this to continue."

Danzo dropped his cane, turning to face the Hyuuga elders. "It will be a shame for Konoha to lose two clans in one night, but know that I am not opposed to it. If you and your clansmen go against me, you will all die in vain."

Hiashi smirked and raised his hands, slipping into the classic Hyuuga battle stance and behind him, the elders did the same. "Believe what you will."

_Hinata, Hanabi and Neji. Use this distraction to run._

_Please escape._

* * *

He was just in time, it seemed.

In one quick movement, he dispatched of the ROOT operatives in his brother's cell, ignoring his demands as he grabbed him and disappeared from view. Others would get involved if there was a lack of response from the operatives and while it would be better to take out as many of them as possible, they couldn't linger. They had to escape while they had the chance.

Danzo was a powerful man. He could manipulate even the strongest of men, bending them to his will. As well as that, he had an unknown number of operatives working for him, both ANBU and ROOT. They couldn't tell who was on their side or not. Unfortunately for them, it wasn't as simple as taking him out, either. They had to get close enough to do so and with Sasuke in his current state, it just wasn't possible.

If his parents had managed to subdue him long enough to get word out, then the clan would know to regroup at one of their hideouts on the outskirts of Fire Country. Even if they didn't, it was something they all knew to do, anyway.

"Itachi-"

"Quiet, Sasuke." Narrowing his red and black eyes, he glanced over his shoulder, hoping more than anything that Shisui and Sakura had escaped the massacre. His father assured him they would create an opening for them.

"Uchiha."

He came to an abrupt stop on the branch of a tree, watching the Hyuuga prodigy with hidden wariness. Could he trust this boy and his cousin? Could he trust the other Hyuuga clansmen he could sense hiding within the trees? Why were there so many of them? Why could he sense other villagers, too? Both civilians and shinobi?

It slowly dawned on him that it wasn't only an attack on his clan.

"Hokage-sama is-"

"Dead," Neji informed him, expression grave. "The elders and Hiashi-sama are holding off the attackers."

How had they missed such a massive attack? Surely they would have noticed something? It was all happening so fast. There wasn't any time to wonder why or how it was happening. The fact that Danzo and his operatives were holding their own against so many powerful shinobi meant they were a lot stronger than they'd ever anticipated.

_But why would he attack like this? They were preparing for war!_

"How many have escaped?" he questioned, eyes glancing around them.

It was the female that spoke then, the one who could pass as Neji's sister rather than his cousin. He knew who she was. She was the future leader of the clan, having surpassed her older sister at a young age. "Many stayed behind to protect the civilians," she said. "Others are surrendering. It seems, if you surrender, Danzo will spare you."

That made sense. His quarrel was with the Uchiha Clan only. He wouldn't want to make Konoha weaker, not when they were so close to war. But once again, Itachi found himself confused and agitated by Danzo's actions. They contradicted everything he previously said about wanting the best for Konoha.

"If you follow us, we will lead you to a hideout that belongs to my clan," Itachi told those around them. "Try to be as silent as you can to avoid detection. If Danzo has thought this attack through, then he will have his operatives watching the borders for escapees."

"Nii-san."

Looking down at his brother, who he was still holding onto, he reached up, breaking the seal over his eyes and granting him his sight once more (although it would take a while to build up his stolen chakra, to activate his Sharingan again). His expression was empty, but Itachi was able to read the emotions in his eyes. Anger. Fear. Uncertainty. Vengeance.

"He tried to steal my eyes."

He…

Fixing Sasuke's arm over his shoulder, he spared a single glance back at the village. After Pain's attack, there hadn't been much left of it. Only the homes on the outskirts of the village had been spared (for the first time ever, he'd been grateful for the district being so far from the village centre), but over the past couple of weeks, they'd all been working tirelessly to rebuild their village.

Now, to see it up in flames, to hear the distinct sounds of battle and screams of death, he found himself filled with sorrow.

"Let's go," he ordered, not sparing the others a glance.

They would take back Konoha. They _would_ get justice for the lives lost.

But, for now, they had to escape.


End file.
